The British Psychological Society has now officially declared Hypnosis a proven therapeutic medium to curb stress, anxiety, pain, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and migraines. "Improvements from hypnosis can be as specific as eliminating erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation, remaining committed to a workout plan, delivering a dynamic sales presentation?or as broad as improving motivation and increasing confidence," said psychologist and certified hypnotherapist Marty Lerman, Ph.D., author of Mindshift.

Anxiety can be experienced at different levels, and although most people experience a relatively mild form of anxiety when facing particularly stressful situations (such as a speech or presentation) anxiety disorders are severe and can disrupt the day-to-day life of an individual. Anxiety can be brought on by a fear of something that happened, or what we think happened and dread happening again.

Stress and anxiety are everywhere in our society and if not dealt with can cause real health problems i.e. back complaints, stomach problems, migraines, depression etc. There are even links suggested between stressful lifestyle and diabetes. Relaxation exercises, and other stress management techniques will help you not only to combat stress and cope with it but ultimately, and far more importantly, to prevent it in the first place.

Anxiety can often be treated by a combination of approaches. Medication, cognitive behavioural therapy and behavioural therapy are all common treatments for anxiety disorders.

Hypnotherapy can also be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders, it aims to seek out the root cause of the anxiety and change an individuals perception of a past event or release emotion from it.

- Hypnosis can incorporate lots of different therapeutic models to help you deal with the presenting stress & anxiety but also to help you avoid developing high underlying stress levels.

- It can help develop subconscious learning and by teaching you relaxation techniques and exercises it can enable you to develop natural responses i.e. a relaxation reflex as opposed to a stress reflex.

- It can also help with positive thinking and assertiveness. By understanding stress and your body's reaction to it, you can start to create new positive reactions which become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Basically, the better you feel about your ability to cope with stressful situations, the better you will in fact cope with them. Hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for stress symptoms such as insomnia, muscle tension, rushing, worrying etc but is also a great approach to dealing with stress and anxiety before they even happen.